How To Survive in Georgian Britain (Hardback)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Welcome to the 18th century! It' s rubbish!
Yes, if you think life in the 21st century is bad, you should try spending a few weeks in Georgian Britain, i.e. between 1714 and 1830 and you'll quickly change your mind. For almost everyone in Georgian Britain, life was significantly worse than it is today. Indeed, reading Kim Seabrook's excellent short book on the subject, it seems astonishing that there was anyone left alive to celebrate the start of the Victorian era at all.
To begin with, the public's general state of health was appalling. One in four children could be expected to die before they reached the age of five and even then, the chances of reaching middle-age were slim. Any episode of Call The Midwife set in the 18th century would be an even more depressing prospect than normal, with one in four pregnant women expected to die in childbirth. Nobody really understood what germs were and dentists often doubled up as barbers.
Food and drink was no better. According to Seabrook, "around 45 per cent of tea sold contained large amounts of dirt and and sand....foods were even infused with hallucinogens, while opium was used to water down beer." We are also treated to grim accounts of a society in which "public floggings and executions were a popular form of entertainment, " brothels and "molly houses" thrived and lawlessness ruled. Highwaymen such as Dick Turpin were far from the loveable rogues portrayed by Richard O'Sullivan and Noel Fielding but were, in reality, cold-blooded and often brutal killers. The vast majority of the population were desperately poor and the ruling elite, unlike a good number of the later Victorians showed no signs of wanting to change society for the better.
This is an eye-opening and readable book, the sort of thing which can be enjoyed by the casual reader without taking notes. Occasionally, the passages about the progress of England's endless run-ins with Bonnie Prince Charlie or the long campaign to abolish the business of slavery read less like a guide on "how to survive in Georgian Britain" than as a straight historical account. But, ultimately, it's all history at the end of the day and all relevant. An enjoyable and informative book.

NetGalley, Chris Hallam

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is an amazing book. It covered so many different areas of the Georgian period, and I learned so much. I love when there are tons of pictures included right alongside the text, and there were so many amazing photos and drawings in the book.

NetGalley, Rebecca Stewart